Matthew Hanzel

For many of you who are following my blog, you will know that I am an avid fan of Model United Nations (MUN)—or United Nations, for that matter. I fond this international organization that I study some of its books, and I collect UN-related stuffs: from flag to pin, lanyard to hoodie.

And this, the perfect toy for any UN or MUN nerd.

You may be surprised to know that the Danish toy company LEGO produced a series named LEGO Architecture. In this special series, LEGO takes us into a journey of some of the world’s most prominent buildings and landmarks—of course, built in miniature from its plastic blocks. Some of the buildings featured include the White House, Imperial Hotel Tokyo (now demolished), the US Capitol, the Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower, and more.

I was pleasantly surprised that LEGO produced this one: The United Nations Headquarters. While itself a very important historical building, it is perhaps not better known for its architectural values—despite being designed by the likeness of Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer. The building, now sitting in downtown New York, is a symbolic ‘center of the world’ which houses an organization of which 193 independent sovereign nations are members.

When I purchased this item last year, I was worried that LEGO has stopped producing this item. After searching for it frankly in three different countries (!), I managed to find one sold here in Indonesia, and here it was.

The LEGO item contained many pieces, and numerically it has more pieces than most LEGO items. Be warned, however, that the pieces were relatively small (or even, much smaller) than the typical 4×2 brick, and it contained many interlocking pieces which were oddly-shaped.

The only way to go for this item is to follow the plan. Inside the box you will find a very helpful booklet, along with a brief description of the actual building. The blocks were separated into several plastic bags, allowing you to find the items you need easier.

Assembling the entire piece took me around 60-75 minutes. Once it was finished, I took marvel in LEGO’s quality of construction and design. I could actually perceive the shape of the building, including the famous, sloping General Assembly Hall (in white) which was essentially built by joining several stacks of white, thin-shaped LEGO bricks.

All in all, this is a very beautiful LEGO item, and it is easily a collectible item. I don’t know if LEGO is keeping on producing this series or not, but, if you love LEGO, and if you love architecture, owning at least one or some of this LEGO Architecture series is a must.

Consider yourself bringing a little part of LEGOLAND home!